Vernacularism as Ideology

Abstract

Exclusion has become a cultural element of our species. The barricades serve to set one apart, to differentiate one from one’s fellows. The aim is to dominate. Terminologies, backed with elaborate theories legitimizing this division are churned out as an afterthought to suit practice. Deconstructionists point at this as proof of the ephemeral nature of all exclusivist endeavours and show at once that their only purpose is the creation of social conditions and states of affairs that oppose
reality. Vernacularism is an example of the human person’s exclusivist tendency. As applied to language, vernacularism categorizes certain languages as inferior in relation to other languages. This paper undertakes a critical study of vernacularism in language. Through a process of deconstruction, the paper shows that vernacularism is an ideology, and therefore a social construct. The paper exposes
factors that construct vernacularism and argues that such construction is intended for domination and exploitation.